The European Journal of Public Health Advance Access originally published online on March 25, 2009
The European Journal of Public Health 2009 19(5):554-560; doi:10.1093/eurpub/ckp032
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Miscellaneous |
Staff reports of psychosocial climate at school and adolescents’ health, truancy and health education in Finland
Marianna Virtanen1, Mika Kivimäki1,2, Pauliina Luopa3, Jussi Vahtera1, Marko Elovainio3, Jukka Jokela4 and Minna Pietikäinen3
1 Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Topeliuksenkatu 41 a A, 00250 Helsinki, Finland
2 Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London Medical School, 1-19 Torrington Place, London WC1E 6BT, UK
3 National Institute for Health and Welfare, 00531 Helsinki, Finland
4 Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, Finland
Correspondence: Marianna Virtanen, Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Topeliuksenkatu 41 a A, FIN-00250 Helsinki, Finland, tel: +358 40 7450106, fax: +358-30-474 2552, e-mail: marianna.virtanen{at}ttl.fi
Received April 30, 2008 , accepted February 17, 2009
Background: Psychosocial climate at school reported by school personnel may be related to pupils’ reports of being heard at school, depression, physical and psychological symptoms, truancy and received health education. Methods: Cross-sectional study combining data from two independent surveys conducted between 2004 and 2005 in 136 public schools in Finland. The pupil sample comprised 11 583 boys and 12 706 girls from the eighth and ninth grades of lower secondary school and first and second grades of upper secondary school. A personnel survey (n = 1946) was used to measure psychosocial climate indexed by trust and opportunity for participation, support for innovation, orientation towards high-quality work and accepted and clear goals. Results: After adjustment for individual and school-level covariates, multilevel analyses revealed odds for pupils’ opinion of not being heard were higher in schools where personnel reported poor trust and opportunity for participation (OR = 1.33) and low support for innovation (OR = 1.37). Poor trust and opportunity for participation and unclear work goals among staff were associated with high truancy among pupils (ORs = 1.54 and 1.39). Poor trust and opportunity for participation among staff were also related to pupils’ depression [cumulative odds ratio (COR = 1.14)], and physical and psychological symptoms (COR = 1.17). Unclear goals among staff were associated with pupils’ opinions that health education was insufficient (OR = 1.40). Conclusions: school climate is associated with adolescents’ health, wellbeing and received health education.
Keywords: adolescents, depression, health education, school climate, truancy